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Topic Review (Newest First)

09-19-2011 02:25 PM

evasion

The boat is about 200 feet from shore, I'm bringing air tube for the bubblers from shore not electricity to the boat, junk is not a concerne where will be the boat there is not current. Only concerne is wind from north and I will try to put some kind of protection at the bow

09-19-2011 11:36 AM

miatapaul

How far from shore will it be? how will you get power out to it, it is not like you can run it off the boat batteries, they are pretty powerful motors, and will take some amperage to run it. Just does not seem like a good idea for a couple of weeks of sailing. Another concern is that there is a lot of junk that flows out most rivers in the spring, like fallen trees and trash that I sure would not want dragging my boat with it.

11-02-2010 08:12 AM

evasion

insurance is certainly a concern your right, but I can assume the risk myself.

Ice is less present year to year, a friend of mine just bought a fiberglass amor 40 that made succesfully the north west passage last year and he is not the only one that made it in a plastic boat.

Maybe I should change my question: what are the conditions the keep a plastic boat in the winter in Canada? A lot of people did it or doing it right now, I won't be the first, just want to know how to make it the right way.

So what I need? Bubblers, 360 degrees protection (I guest it's not all boat winterizing in the water that as that protection), heating inside the boat, 2x4 around the boat ???

I won't be liveaboard, my house is 2 minutes from the boat so I can keep an eye on it.

11-01-2010 09:27 PM

MC1

If the boat is insured, you may want to check with your insurance company beforehand to confirm the boat would be covered if it became locked in ice. Insurance companies usually frown upon owners knowingly leaving insured property at significant risk. In the event of a loss, use of the bubblers might be important to show you made a reasonable effort to protect the boat from damage. If self-insuring . . . one would have to be a brave soul indeed to let a fiberglass boat become engulfed in that much ice.

11-01-2010 08:34 PM

evasion

This is a good point, the moving ice in the spring can be a problem for sure.

But I watched ice movement last year on the bassin and there was next to none.

Ice only melt in place or so with some weak movements that won't hurt the hull I'm sure (current is only underwater and I think there is one because a stream in line with the rapid de-ice faster every year.

The problem can be if I get strong winds from north (rare but it can happen), and all the ice from about 1 miles of the bassin go toward my boat that will be close to shore (at anchor on the south part of the bassin)

There must me a way the prevent ice from touching the hull like suspend pieces of 2x6 of wood next to fenders aroung the boat ?

Some water front home owners leave their docks in the water without problem everyyear at this place, maybe they were lucky...

keep giving me your advices :-)

11-01-2010 07:33 PM

tomandchris

If you are in a river that does not freeze more than a few inches you will probably be fine. Your description on the boat you saw in 3-4 foot of ice said that it was pulled out in January. If the hull does not get crushed in that much ice I can assure you that the ice will move in the Spring, especially if there is a current. Windage alone will move ice which will then do major damage to anything in its way. I have seen steel boat lifts turned into pretzels by spring ice.

Good luck

11-01-2010 07:14 PM

Memopad

Last winter I watched the ice on lake superior drag a 1,000lb block of concrete about 1/4mile as the ice moved. Someone didn't sink their mooring, it froze in the ice and got drug. Kind of illustrates the power of what you're dealing with... and that was in a relatively protected harbour.

11-01-2010 06:52 PM

evasion

there is no tide where the boat will be and it's not salt water.

when ice thaws, it is expending then causing breakage?

For ice-build up (accumulation of ice), I noticed they were next to the shore, not at 100 feet of it.

Howewer I think I will get some kind of device the prevent ice, at least the first year and make some tests without the boat in the water.

Rob, I understand ice-eater is working for you in 4 feet of water. Is a ice-eater same thingh as a bubbler or it's different type?

11-01-2010 04:19 PM

MC1

No way I would let my fiberglass "significant investment" get locked in ice if I could prevent it. I've read of steel boats wintering-in this way much further north, but I think it's too risky with fiberglass. Our marina in Lake Ontario uses bubblers in a few places (to protect underwater electrical conduits coming up to the dock) to good affect with 6 - 8 foot water depths. Keeping the water moving appears to be the crucial thing. On a really really cold night, a thin surface coat of ice might still form, but each time I looked anyway, the bubblers had it broken up by noon. Even with bubblers, I'd still be nervous they'd stop (e.g., power loss) when I wasn't able to check on them.

11-01-2010 03:01 PM

CatalinaRob

I do not think its at all good for a boat to be locked in 3-4 feet of ice. However, I believe that the damage comes when the ice starts to move away as it breaks-up/thaws. Locked in ice is not good for the boat but will most likely not cause the real damage (unless seacocks freeze and burst). Docks and poles typically get damaged when the ice is pulled away. Now every situation is going to be different here so I am commenting based off general experience.

I use an ice-eater for my 30 footer in a salt-water creek in NY. Low-low tide the keel is at rest on very soft mud at my dock (~4 feet directly under the boat and maybe 6 foot several more feet away from the dock). The ice-eater works fine and no ice ever develops under these circumstances. It could be that its angled in a way to pull water from the center of the creek where its deeper and slightly warmer but again, no ice forms around my boat.

Every situation is going to be different but the above is my experience in cold-cold 20 degree winters.

- Rob

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